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Signs of Cellphone Spying Found Near White House

June 1, 2018 at 9:46 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“A federal study found signs that surveillance devices for intercepting cellphone calls and texts were operating near the White House and other sensitive locations in the Washington area last year,” the Washington Post reports.

“The discovery bolsters years of independent research suggesting that foreign intelligence agencies use sophisticated interception technology to spy on officials working within the hub of federal power in the nation’s capital. Experts in surveillance technology say that IMSI catchers — sometimes known by one popular brand name, Stingrays — are a standard part of the tool kit for many foreign intelligence services, including for such geopolitical rivals as Russia and China.”

Quote of the Day

June 1, 2018 at 9:42 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“I speak out for the simple reason that Mr. Trump is failing to live up to the standards that we should all expect of a president. As someone who had the rare privilege of directly serving four presidents, I will continue to speak out loudly and critically until integrity, decency, wisdom — and maybe even some humility — return to the White House.”

— Former CIA Director John Brennan, writing in the Washington Post.

Trump On Pace for 10,000 False Statements

June 1, 2018 at 9:36 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The Washington Post‘s Glenn Kessler tells Poynter that at President Trump’s current pace of making false statements — 6.5 a day, more than 200 a month — he could hit 10,000 by the end of his term.

“What sets Trump apart from his predecessors? Two things, says Kessler, who has kept an eye on presidents since Bill Clinton. One, Trump doesn’t seem to have or use the staff to base a statement, even if stretched, on fact. Two, he doesn’t seem to care if he is caught in a misstatement — he just repeats it; in one case, more than 70 times.”


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Trump Sent Market Early Signal on Jobs Report

June 1, 2018 at 8:53 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Trump “broke with decades of protocol and commented publicly about the highly anticipated jobs report data 69 minutes before they were released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics,” the Washington Post reports.

Treasury yields moved sharply higher within seconds of a Twitter post from President Trump that said he was “looking forward to seeing the employment numbers at 8:30 this morning.”

“The jobs data come out once a month, and often can lead to massive buying or selling trends on Wall Street depending on how the information is received. It is extremely closely held and kept under tight control until it is released at 8:30 a.m. on the first Friday of each month. The Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers is traditionally given the report the day before it is released, and it can often be shared with the president after that time. But the president – and other administration officials – never tip their hand about what the numbers reveal.”

Tariffs Will Likely Cancel Out Impact of Tax Cuts

June 1, 2018 at 8:07 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

John Harwood: “President Trump has embarked on an unorthodox follow-up to cutting the taxes American families pay: raising the prices of goods they buy.”

“Higher prices will result directly from tariffs the White House plans to impose on steel and aluminum imports from allies such as Canada, Mexico and the European Union as well as other countries… But combined with additional tariffs against other imports from China and retaliatory steps by our trading partners, the measures Trump announced promise to make an impact. And mainstream economists across the political spectrum agree it will be negative.”

Said Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a Republican economist who advised President George W. Bush: “Unambiguously bad. The only question is how big.”

Trump Stops Pummeling Congressional Republicans

June 1, 2018 at 8:03 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Trump has stopped beating up on Republicans in Congress ahead of critical midterm elections, among the few instances in which the unconventional populist has embraced the role of traditional party leader,” the Washington Examiner reports.

“Trump’s benevolence has extended to Republicans who have opposed elements of his agenda, delivering crucial endorsements that protected them from primary challengers running as ‘MAGA’ loyalists. The unexpected detente, after Trump spent most of 2017 publicly undercutting House and Senate Republicans, could be a pivotal development in the party’s fight to preserve its power in November.”

Republicans Think Tariffs Will Hurt Them at Polls

June 1, 2018 at 7:18 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Republicans are bitterly protesting the Trump administration’s decision to impose sweeping tariffs on U.S. allies — alarmed that the White House ignored their frenzied lobbying campaign and afraid that the party could suffer at the polls in November,” Politico reports.

Kushner Friend Now Under Scrutiny of Mueller

June 1, 2018 at 7:17 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“A close friend of Jared Kushner has come under scrutiny by special counsel Robert Mueller for his proximity to some key meetings between Trump associates and foreign officials,” NBC News reports.

“Richard Gerson, a hedge-fund manager in New York, was in the Seychelles in January 2017, less than two weeks before President Trump’s inauguration and around the time Trump associate Erik Prince secretly met with Russian and United Arab Emirates officials, including Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan of Abu Dhabi.”

“While in the remote Indian Ocean island nation, Gerson met with Prince Mohammed — also known by his initials as MBZ — and communicated with a Lebanese-American businessman with close ties to the UAE, George Nader, who had organized the Erik Prince meeting, according to text messages Gerson sent at the time and a person familiar with the meeting.”

NAFTA Talks Break Down After Pence Ultimatum

June 1, 2018 at 7:07 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “said months of intense negotiations between his country, the United States and Mexico imploded Tuesday when Vice President Pence demanded that any deal expire automatically in five years,” the Washington Post reports.

“Trudeau said he was prepared to travel to Washington this week to try to finalize a rework of the North American Free Trade Agreement, but Pence, in the phone call, said a meeting would occur only if the ‘sunset’ provision was agreed to in advance.”

Congressional Candidate Admits He’s a Pedophile

May 31, 2018 at 11:05 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Nathan Larson, a 37-year-old accountant from Charlottesville, Virginia, is running for Congress as an independent candidate in his native state. He is also a pedophile, as he admitted to HuffPost on Thursday, who has bragged in website posts about raping his late ex-wife.”

”In a phone call, Larson confirmed that he created the now-defunct websites suiped.org and incelocalypse.today ― chat rooms that served as gathering places for pedophiles and violence-minded misogynists like himself.”

Prosecutors Interview Comey In McCabe Case

May 31, 2018 at 10:16 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Investigators from the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office recently interviewed former FBI director James B. Comey as part of a probe into whether his deputy, Andrew McCabe, broke the law by lying to federal agents — an indication the office is seriously considering whether McCabe should be charged with a crime,” the Washington Post reports.

“Lying to federal investigators can carry a five-year prison sentence, though McCabe disputes that he intentionally misled anyone.”

Ron Estes vs. Ron Estes

May 31, 2018 at 10:13 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Rep. Ron Estes (R-KS) has a Republican primary opponent,” the Wichita Eagle reports. “His name is Ron Estes.”

“Ron Estes — not the congressman, the other one — said Thursday he plans to run against the better-known Estes. The non-elected Estes, who filed as Ron M. Estes, lives in Wichita and is a first-time candidate.”

White House Wants Samantha Bee’s Show Cancelled

May 31, 2018 at 6:33 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Samantha Bee told the Daily Beast that she “deeply regrets” calling Ivanka Trump a “feckless cunt” on her show.

Meanwhile, Deadline reports that the White House called on TBS to cancel the show.

Said press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders: “The language used by Samantha Bee last night is vile and vicious. The collective silence by the left and its media allies is appalling. Her disgusting comments and show are not fit for broadcast, and executives at Time Warner and TBS must demonstrate that such explicit profanity about female members of this administration will not be condoned on its network.”

The Media’s Undeniable Pro-Trump Bias

May 31, 2018 at 6:08 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Tim Miller: “The worst gaffe Mitt Romney made in 2012—the only one, I’d argue, that deserved sustained scrutiny—was his now-infamous remark that 47 percent of Americans are dependent on government, believe they are victims, and, thus, will never vote for Republicans. Imagine if Trump had slipped Romney’s remark, verbatim, between his call-and-response screed about ‘animals,’ and the story about the imaginary San Diego mayor who wants him to build a border wall. Would the comment that the media made a defining issue in the 2012 campaign have even made it into the newspaper the next day? Would cable producers have bumped the wall-to-wall coverage of Roseanne for even a single segment?”

“The answer is obviously no. If the horrifying death toll of Hurricane Maria couldn’t break through, it’s hard to imagine that ‘what about your gaffes?!’ would have.”

“Through strategy, instinct, and horseshoe-up-his-ass blind luck, Trump has abused the media into grading him on the steepest of curves and giving him the benefit of the doubt when he has proven time and again he deserves nothing but the most extreme scrutiny.”

Do You Think He’s Still a Reader?

May 31, 2018 at 5:01 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A reader notes that Donald Trump is a Political Wire reader… at least he was in 2013.

Listen to Michael Cohen Threaten a Reporter

May 31, 2018 at 4:28 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

NPR published the audio of President Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, making threats against a reporter for the Daily Beast in 2015.

A sample: “So I’m warning you, tread very fucking lightly because what I’m going to do to you is going to be fucking disgusting. Do you understand me? Don’t think you can hide behind your pen because it’s not going to happen. I’m more than happy to discuss it with your attorney and with your legal counsel because motherfucker you’re going to need it.”

Trump Repeatedly Pressured Sessions on Mueller Probe

May 31, 2018 at 4:19 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Jonathan Swan: “President Trump pressured Attorney General Jeff Sessions to reclaim control of the Russia investigation on at least four separate occasions, three times in person and once over the phone.”

“The fact that there were multiple conversations shows that Trump’s pressure on Sessions to stop recusing himself was heavier than previously known. The sustained pressure made several officials uncomfortable, because they viewed it as improper and worry that it could be politically and legally problematic.”

“Four sources with direct knowledge told me Trump has been obsessed by the Mueller investigation over the past year. That’s been clear from his tweets. But privately he’s been brooding about it so persistently, people close to him worry he can’t help but make the situation worse for himself.”

Cruz Was Behind D’Souza Pardon

May 31, 2018 at 3:27 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Dinesh D’Souza told the Daily Caller that Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) was the major impetus behind his pardon by President Trump.

“D’Souza noted that he and his wife had dinner with Cruz approximately a month ago. At the dinner, the senator made clear he would push for a pardon during his conversations with President Donald Trump. D’Souza said he then received a call in recent days from Cruz, who told him Trump was very receptive to the pardon and that action could be coming imminently.”

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About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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